The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, awaits orders for the search of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at the port of Perth, a southwestern port city of Australia, March 20, 2014. Xuelong will set off to the waters where suspected debris of the missing flight MH370 has been found, according to the State Oceanic Administration of China. (Xinhua/Tang Zhijian)

ABOARD XUELONG, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese icebreaker Xuelong is set to head for the southern Indian Ocean on Friday to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Upon arrival at the western Australian port of Fremantle for replenishment on Friday morning, the long-serving Antarctic research vessel received orders from the State Oceanic Administration of China to join the hunt.

Xuelong's captain, Wang Jianzhong, said 87 of the crew members will participate in the mission and the ship is trying to store as many supplies as possible.

Meanwhile, the multinational search for the Malaysian flight continued as four aircraft of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) have left Perth for the search area, the agency announced.

AMSA said a RAAF P3 Orion has left at about 12:45 pm local time and will join two other P3 Orions and an ultra long range Bombadier Global Express jet.

Due to the distance to and from the search area, the planes involved have about 2 hours of search time, said AMSA, whose website has been confirmed straining and thus often inaccessible due to mounting visitors.

A U.S.Navy P8 Poseidon plane will head for the search area at about 16:00 pm.

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- More Chinese vessels will set out for the southern Indian Ocean to search for the missing Malaysian jetliner, while the multinational search operation for suspicious debris of MH370 resumes on Friday.

Chinese rescue vessels Haixun 01 and Nanhaijiu 101 will sail off to the search area in the southern Indian Ocean, more than 3,000 km southwest off Perth, Australia, where possible MH370 debris was found on Thursday through satellite imagery. Full story

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese Air Force planes have been sent to Malaysia to help with the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Upon commands of the Central Military Commission, the aircraft, two IL-76 transport planes and a Yun-8 cargo plane, took off from south China's Sanya airport at about 8 a.m. on Friday, saidPeople's Liberation ArmyAir Force spokesman Shen Jinke. Full story

CANBERRA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said on Thursday that two objects possibly related to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have been spotted, with the large one about 24 meters long.

"The objects are relatively indistinct. The indication to me is of objects that are of a reasonable size and probably awash with water and bobbing up and down over the surface," said AMSA official John Young.Full story

KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak received a call from his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott at 10:00 am this morning, informing him that "two possible objects related to the search for" MH370 had been identified in the Southern Indian Ocean, Malaysian official said Thursday in a statement.

"The Australian High Commissioner has also briefed me on the situation," Hishammuddin Hussein, minister of defense and acting minister of transport of Malaysia, said in the statement.Full story